Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup

I made this soup last night for dinner and we LOVED it. Robert said it was better than any soup they've made at any restaurant he's worked at. The recipe calls for a lot of red pepper flakes but I only added about half of what it calls for. It was still pretty spicy and I think next time I might just eliminate them altogether. But do whatever floats your boat. I got it from Tasty Kitchen, so here's the link: Fiery Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup. I also might reduce the number of croutons used to make the soup more soupy. It's pretty thick and hearty as the recipe has it written, but if that's what you want, go for it.

My first time

We got new couches this week. In typical I Love Lucy fashion, when we walked into our living room after picking out the couches, we were disgusted. The end tables I once lovingly picked out on Craigslist, the mixed and matched "entertainment center" that we previously has taken pride in, were now eye sores. One day they were beloved, the next they were scorned. Like Lucy, I could not possibly be able to purchase all new furniture. So, instead we bought some stain, I broke out the sander, I rolled up my sleeves, and went to work. In less than 24 hours (and in between meal times, nursings, during nap times, and after the park), I turned this:

into this:

Only one end table, two bookshelves, and a TV stand to go! (Okay, maybe one end table and then we'll see.) I think it turned out pretty well for my first time ever tackling a project like this myself.

Next, I'll showcase our new couches! They're wonderful. :)

Guess who's almost six months old?! In a couple of weeks, a half year will have passed since my little baby came into the world. I am truly amazed. But I always say that. I usually wait until after the six month mark before starting a baby on solids, but this little guy has been different. For a couple of weeks now he has been so interested when we are eating. If he's sitting on my lap and I put something in my mouth, he practically breaks his neck as he flings himself backward and twists his head around to watch me do it. On top of that, other things have been changing with him. He used to sleep between 5-8 hours a night without waking up for a feeding. Lately, I can barely get him to go four hours. Also, he used to never blow out diapers. They were just more...solid. Now, though, they are getting more icky and he's been blowing out several times a week. It's almost as if his body is using up anything "solid". Anyway, long story short, (actually, I gave you the long story and now I will repeat it in a shorter version, making it longer altogether :)) I think he's ready for solids.

Last night I started with the basic: rice cereal mixed with water. Grant thought it was great. He loved mushing it around in his mouth. He didn't eat much, but it was a start. :)

Craig wanted to take some pictures but all the ones he got of Grant eating were blurring since Grant moves so much. Then he took this one of Ethan and me. I've had my hair cut and this is little preview of my bangs. Stay tuned for more on another day.

He's so happy...I guess he liked it.

Fun at the bowling alley with kids

So, we took the boys bowling. Of all the things I imagined could happen (rather, of all the things that could go wrong), I never could have guessed what transpired that night. In the end, it really was fun and worth doing again, the bowling part I mean. Just another night in our lives with children. They make life an adventure, that's for sure. Here's the low down:

We were on our way to the bowling alley at about 5:30 and as a last minute thought, Robert called our home teacher/friend to see if he wanted to meet us there with his two girls. They said they would be there. Right about then, Craig said his stomach was hurting, but nothing came of it. When we got to the bowling alley, I took him to the bathroom with me. After saying his stomach was hurting again but insisting he didn't have to poop, he pooped. In his pants. Just a little, but it still meant he needed clean underwear and pants, of which I had neither. Of all the three boys that I should have been prepared with extra clothes and diapers for, Craig was the least of my concerns. I pulled the only diaper I had out of the diaper bag (one of Grant's, a #3, of course) and stretched it around Craig. He laughed and said it was really small.

Our friends had just come and Craig was insisting he felt better now (he had gone more on the potty) and cried when I said we had to go home to get him some clean clothes. We were about 15 to 20 minutes from home. By now, Grant was getting hungry but I had to rush out and find the nearest Walmart or Target to buy some diapers and pants. We had no idea where either was in the neighborhood. I have never encountered a location in the entire Greater Phoenix area that was more than a mile from either a Walmart or Target, until last night.

I went to leave when Ethan began to cry, so I took him with me. I got to the door, but realized Robert had the keys. Ethan started crying and saying he wanted to go bowling with Daddy. Sigh. After getting the keys and driving within one block of Walmart, I realized that Robert had the debit card. I turned around and went back. I got the debit card, got to Target (after realizing that there was a Target closer than the Walmart I was originally going to go to), got the stuff, and went back. By the time I got back to the bowling alley, Grant was screaming (no one could hear him among all the bowling noise, but it was still sad), but the kids were having a great time. Craig LOVES bowling, even when wearing his baby brother's diaper with no pants and bowling shoes. Robert got Craig changed and dressed, I fed Grant, we bowled a game, ate popcorn, and the one I was most worried about being hard to handle (Ethan) occupied himself by playing with the arcade games by our seats and cheering for everyone. A night that started off badly and, if it weren't for our friends showing up, would not have happened at all, turned out well.

I still don't know what the problem was with Craig. The only thing I can think is that he had had several cups of juice that day and one the day before. Before he was potty trained, I used to have to limit and water down his juice intake because it would make him have really nasty diapers. While he was potty training, giving him a cup of juice helped him go. I think this time he had just had too much.

Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to know anymore about that. But, like I said, life with kids is an adventure and this one turned out alright in the end. No pun intended.

Happenings

I haven't been great about taking pictures lately and documenting life. I am sitting here, watching Fraiser on Netflix, and taking this opportunity to update my online "journal" (and you, my friends and family) on what we're doing over here in the Leal household.

About a week and a half ago, Robert started his classes online with BYU-Idaho. He's taking a few generals, but most importantly he's taking the first part of Human Anatomy and Physiology. It's a really challenging class and he's really dedicated to pulling an A out of it. We're really excited about this new chapter in our lives. We've found a great little house in Rigby and plan on moving sometime around the 29th of Feb. or the 1st of March (right after we see Wicked on the 28th--there's so much to look forward to in life!). It's right next door to some people we knew in Montana, too! I dread the moving process, but I am excited for being reunited with some old friends up there. I really loved Rexburg and the years I spent there.

My classes started last Monday. I am taking all the rest of my EDU courses so I can do my student teaching this next fall. It's only 13 credits, but for someone who's been taking 6-7 credits every semester for the last three years, it seems a bit daunting. I can do it, though, since much of the time commitment for this semester is in practicum hours that I plan to have done before we leave. Robert and I have been trying harder, though, to spend some quality time together. We went bowling a couple of nights ago for the first time in a VERY long time and it was really a lot of fun. I think it just might become our standard date night activity. Especially since now we're moving near Rexburg and cheap bowling at the school. :) What's this world coming to, anyway, when you have to pay $4 per person per game, plus the cost of shoes? We also spent $.75 on a game of pool which I enjoyed more than I thought I would.

Craig is growing up, thank goodness. He's becoming more cooperative every day. He has his bad days and moments, of course, but I have a feeling that we've come out of the woods from the terrible twos and threes. He'll be four in a few months and I think this might be our best year together, yet. I love that he can take direction and can understand why things have to be certain ways. He asks a thousand questions per second and one of his favorite things to do is torment Ethan and making him scream. But that's what brothers are for.

Ethan is certainly embracing his two-ness. He is still a sweet, cuddly little boy, though. Craig was all physicality at that age and Ethan thinks everything is a game---usually "Chase." Every nap time, bed time, lunch time, grocery trip, and Sacrament meeting turns into "You Can't Get Me." The worst part is his little laugh is so infectious, it's hard not to smile back and inadvertently encourage him. And it's the saddest thing in the world to have to put him in time out when he actually does something wrong...like the time he whacked Craig so hard on the head with a Wonder Pets Fly Boat that it actually bled (Craig was antagonizing him, but still). Ethan is so wounded when he's in trouble. It is a little refreshing though. When Craig got into trouble at that age, he would just think our stern voices and frowning at him was funny and laugh at us. I don't know where he got that from. :)

Grant, of course, is adorable. Plain and simple. He's getting really interactive now. He turned five months old this last week. He's really gotten into toys and noticing things going on around him. He's a pro at sitting in his exersaucer thing and pushing the buttons and turning the little disco ball. He gets excited and very vocal when he sees me and is a sweet, hug-able, loving, perfect little baby. His sleeping habits have changed, though. From day one, most nights of the week he'd go to sleep at about eight and I wouldn't hear from him until almost three or four in the morning. Now, though, about four nights a week he'll wake up to eat at 11 and then again at four. Then he'll stir at about 6am, but I can bring into bed with me and get him to sleep until about 7:30, if Craig and Ethan let us go that long.

All in all, things are moving along in life. I guess you can see why I haven't been posting much lately. There's not much to report. I find myself taking each day one at a time, moment by moment. I've discovered that's the only way I can remain sane and maintain a shred of patience with three little kids and full time school. I know plenty of people out there who are dealing with a lot more in life than me, and I guess it's that thought that keeps me going and it keeps me from too much self-pity. In fact, it's that thought that makes me look beyond the moments and at the big picture of things to see all my blessings and all the good moments of every day and overlook the trials. Like today, for example. Robert had to spend the day at the hospital with his mom and some serious medical problems of hers (another factor of life we've been dealing with lately) so I had to go at it alone at church. Moments were tough (like dragging Craig literally kicking and screaming down the hall to primary), but the overall experience turned out better than one would expect. The best part was when I was visiting with another mom in the mother's lounge. She and her husband recently adopted a baby with Downs Syndrome back in August after nine years of trying to have their own children. She has been really struggling with adapting to life as a new mom (after only about a week ofg preparation when most of us have nine months to prepare) and the health troubles and scares that come with this particular little boy. On top of that, she miraculously became pregnant so she has been dealing with all of these things among all the hormones and sickness that comes with it. Of course they're extremely happy, but it's a trying time in life nonetheless. She then says to me how impressed she is with how well I handled the boys by myself today and she enjoys watching me during church because I have such patience with them. I have to be honest and tell her that what she sees at church is BY FAR my best behavior and don't be deceived by my composure. But I must admit, hearing her tell me that watching me gives her confidence--that if I can handle three boys under the age of four in Sacrament meeting then she feels like she can do what this next year has in store for her, too. What is life about, if not that? Gaining confidence and learning from others around us, living each moment the best we can (which is sometimes not good at all), only to find that we in turn help lift and inspire others just by doing the best we can each moment.

Well, I think I have waxed philosophical long enough. Kudos to those of you who have made it all the way through this post. I think this one is definitely more for posterity than anything else, but here it is anyway. Thanks for listening. (Gosh, I've been watching too much Frasier.)

The first week of 2012

It has been quite a week over here at our house. The above picture was the last carefree picture taken before The Onset. We hadn't braved a real restaurant with the kids in a very long so we decided to go out to Joe's Crab Shack one night early this week. We'd never been there and the kids like shrimp and such, so we thought it would be a good choice. Robert got a crab pot of crustaceans and here he is with one of his victims. Craig thought it was great. He loves visiting the live lobsters at the grocery store so I wasn't sure how he was going to take it. Surprisingly (or not), he had no problem watching Robert dismember and consume one of Craig's little water-buddies. The night went well, for the most part. As well as can be expected. It was a picnic compared to what came next.

That night, and for the next week, someone was throwing up. It started with Craig, then me, then Ethan, and finally Robert, who actually got by with only a touch of the virus. Grant had an extra icky spit up yesterday and he was kind of fussy, but I think that's the extent of it for him. The day I was sick I was totally out of commission. The kids seemed to deal with playing and throwing up between games like it was nothing. I, however, was laid out on the couch or in bed the entire day, barely able to move. Where does all the energy go when you grow up? I have never felt this bad with the stomach flu before and I am certain it's because it's the first time I've had since hitting 30. They say that physically, it all goes down hill from here. Great.

I was lucky that Robert didn't get hit as hard as the rest of us (he's only 29) so he was able to step in and be "mom". He really helped out a lot and I was able to get the rest I needed. I still feel a little queasy and I'm on day three, I think. That's the worst part of it, for me. The queasiness is lingering. On the up side, I've lost five pounds!

Well, that's the report from me and the boys for now. Today is Craig's first primary party! I can't believe he's in primary already. Before I know it, I'll be posting about his first day at school. But enough of that. On to the primary party!

Christmas Train

We went back to our favorite train park this year for a Christmas train ride. The boys loved it so much last year and it really got us into the holiday spirit. We thought the line was long last year, but this year was MUCH more difficult. We got through it, though, and had fun. It was chilly out that night, but we were bundled up and ready for the worst winter weather we've experienced in Arizona so far: temperatures in the 40s!


While waiting in line, they have some little distractions for the kids.


Our turn, finally! I don't know how many times I said to Craig that night, "We have to stay here and wait our turn." But when our turn came, boy, was he excited!

I really hope there are some miniature trains somewhere nearby where we'll be living in Idaho. These kids just love 'em and they're all over down here.

December 23--Mesa Temple

I wanted to do something on the 23rd this year to commemorate Joseph Smith's birthday, so we decided to make that the night we went to see the temple lights. I love having a temple close by so we can do this every year and am looking forward to moving to Rigby so can go to TWO temples next year. Who knows...maybe we'll even make the trek to Salt Lake (pun intended) to see those lights. I've never been there at Christmas. It really helped me get into the spirit of Christmas. It's always so beautiful. It was actually a little chilly, too, that night and almost the whole week before Christmas.

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I think it's funny what the flash does to Grant's eyes--it makes him look like a deer in the headlights.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Originally, we had planned on having Christmas at home and bringing my mother in law down from Show Low (about three hours away) for a week. That all changed, however, when she had an emergency surgery about two weeks before Christmas. So, instead of doing the stockings, traditional breakfast (pigs in a blanket, orange juice, and fruit salad), opening presents, and later the Christmas feast, we had to break things up a bit. When we decided to change our plans, we had already bought all the stuff for Christmas dinner. So, instead of doing Christmas DAY dinner, we did a Christmas EVE dinner and invited some friends over. I must say, I loved it. I loved having a whole extra day to dedicate to Christmas and to anticipate the day to come. We opened our pajamas that night, too. Doing it this way made dinner on Christmas day really simple and easy--when all you want to do is relax and enjoy your family.

Robert did most of the dinner. He made prime rib (something we get once a year and has become our Christmas tradition), asparagus, green bean casserole, lobster tails (an experiment that didn't turn out to be worth it), and funeral potatoes. I made two things: sweet potato casserole and a pecan pie. Of course we had Martinellis and my family's traditional croissants. It was fabulous! And, I must say, there are some great things you can do with prime rib leftovers.


Christmas morning, we opened the stockings at home before heading up to Show Low. It gave Craig and Ethan some things to play with in the car.

On Christmas day, we took our presents and our traditional breakfast to my mother in law's house. She lives in a tiny little apartment so we were all very nice and cozy and close together during the day. :) The boys wanted to play with everything at once, of course, so we decided to just let them open one thing and play with it until they got bored and started getting into things (like her fish tank). Then, we would pack up that toy and have them open another one. It worked really well. By the time they got through opening everything, they had forgotten about the first present.


Grant, as usual, was an angel. Robert is sitting in his mother's death-trap recliner that took up about half the living room. That thing was a beast.


The first thing they opened was their new train set. They love it and still play with it 90% of the time.

The best part of going to Robert's mom's house was that we had snow on Christmas! The boys loved throwing snowballs and running in the snow. Craig keeps talking about it and says he wants it to snow. We just keep telling him that in a couple of months, we'll be in Idaho and he'll have PLENTY of snow. For now, we're liking the 80 degree weather. :)

Wicked!

We're going to see Wicked in February! I'm so excited! I have wanted to see this play ever since I started listening to the soundtrack about five years ago, read the book it's based on (and the sequel), and learned as much as I could about it. When we moved here to Arizona three years ago, it was playing at a nearby theater but we were so short on cash from moving that there was no way we would be able to go. Someone told me that it came back every few years, though, so I've been biding my time. A week ago I heard it was coming back to town so I looked it up. It is set to run from the middle of Feb. through the beginning of March...the exact time we're looking at moving to Idaho. I told Robert we were NOT leaving until I saw Wicked! A week ago there were hundreds of seats available...today I was finally able to buy our tickets and it was darn near close to being sold out! We got some pretty good seats, though. A little further to the side then I wanted, but good. The clincher, though, is they're for the 28th...two days before we have to be out of the house. Anything for the theater. I'm a die-hard.

Merry Christmas!

(Craig, Ethan, and Grant in their matching PJs and me in my new super silky ones.)

Santa's coming tonight! I'm so excited! We had a great Christmas Eve. We're going to visit Robert's mom tomorrow who lives about two hours away and we are coming home tomorrow night which won't leave much time for a big meal. So, we had our big Christmas dinner tonight and invited some friends over. It was quite the feast. Robert did just about everything...I only made the sweet potato casserole and a pecan pie. I did the cleaning and decorating. :) Here are some pictures from our pajama-opening night. I really made out. :) Merry Christmas!My beautiful new robe.

My first pair of toe socks. :) Santa listened when I told him what I wanted for Christmas! I was really only expecting pajamas.

How could he NOT be the favorite?!

I'm pretty sure I've posted this picture before, but the little bubble in his mouth, the chubby cheeks, and the lighting make my little Grant-ly so adorable in this picture I wanted to post it again.

This post is for Grant...because I love him. Because he's so darn cute. Because I feel guilty that I didn't give Ethan enough face time when he was a baby and am trying to not let that happen to Grant. Really. I barely remember Ethan's life before he started walking and talking. It's like the stork dropped him off at 18 months old. I guess Craig was just so young, too, and so much more...um...active that Ethan was just along for the ride for a while.

Mr. Bumbo-boy. He loves this thing...for about eight minutes and then he's done. There's nothing Grant loves more than to lay on the floor, almost rolling over and getting just far enough to lick the carpet. That darn arm just gets in the way. He take tummy just as well...about eight minutes and then he's ready to flip over. He's done it himself once or twice, but not consistently yet. With Craig and Ethan running around, the poor little boy doesn't get enough floor time to practice.

My little caterpillar/pupa/burrito/sausage. Aren't sleeping babies just the cutest thing in the world? And don't worry, I laid him in his crib right after this was taken (although I won't pretend I've succumbed to the temptation previously to not disturb him and instead left him lying in our bed, but more towards the middle).

Thanksgiving

We're almost to Christmas, so I thought I'd better post about our Thanksgiving trip before I got two holidays behind. We decided to head up to Colorado Springs for Thanksgiving to spend it with my brother Scott and his family. We had a really great time. I love seeing new places and it actually felt like fall! The weather was beautiful and crisp...just perfect. Craig and Ethan had a great time with their cousins and all the new toys to play with. We went to the park a couple of times (they live in a great neighborhood), Scott took us to tour the Air Force Academy, and we went to see The Garden of the Gods.

The only downer to the trip was the second day we were there (the day before Thanksgiving), I got what I'm pretty sure was my first full-blown migraine. I think it was brought on by the change in elevation and the fact that I hadn't been drinking enough water--their climate is very dry up there. It started as a little headache in the morning so I took a nap with the kids and woke up with my head pounding so hard it literally made me dizzy. It only got uglier from there, resulting in me sleeping for three more hours that afternoon. It finally began to subside, for which I was SO grateful. I thought I was coming down with the stomach flu the day before Thanksgiving and would infect the whole house. I had visions of all of us lying around Thanksgiving Day with something that felt similar to The Plague...an uncooked turkey on the counter and full bottles of Martinellis in the fridge. But, thankfully, I was blessed to survive and quickly recover and no one else got sick, therefore I am convinced it was a migraine. The rest of the time was great.

Here are the pictures from the moments that I remembered to get out the camera. :)


These pictures were taken at the park the morning before the onset of my Terrible Awful. The kids had fun here.

At the Garden of the Gods. Beautiful.

They had so much fun playing that they would wear themselves out and pass out almost every time we got in the car to go anywhere, even for just 10 minutes. Ethan's a sleeper, anyway, but it was Craig who surprised me .

The Kiddie table. Gosh, I can't believe I've arrived at the time in life when I'm one of the adults and my kids are at the Kiddie table. Not that they stayed there very long before they were off and playing again.


My sister-in-law, Lani, is such a trooper. Since we were traveling, there wasn't much I could do to help prepare food and bring it with me so everything was cooked there. And she's pregnant, due next month! I did get to bring the pies, made the Monday before Thanksgiving, and they turned out well. They were pumpkin and pecan, so they traveled well. She did most of everything else, though. I made a sweet potato casserole, but that was my only other contribution, other than helping her with little things here and there. But I kind of negated that contribution by clogging their garbage disposal with potato peels. Gee, I'm a great house guest! First I get sick and then this. Who wants to invite me over next? Luckily Plumber Scott only charged me the family rate.

I had so many things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful, clear afternoon (I love that last picture...it's so bright and perfect) with family and great food. Thanks Scott and Lani for having us!

I Believe...

You may or may not have noticed the button on the top right side of this blog page that says, "I believe...". I wanted to point it out since mormon.org has recently put my profile through and it is ready for anyone to view. Just click on the button and it will take you right to it. For those of you who are LDS out there, you probably know that the church is encouraging all of us to create a profile on mormon.org to help in the church's new media campaign. I really enjoyed thinking about why I'm a member of the church and writing down my testimony. Please feel free to read it and, for those of you who might be viewing who aren't members of the church, also feel free ask me any questions who might have.

Merry Christmas!

Wildlife World Zoo

About a month ago, we went to another zoo near Phoenix called the Wildlife World Zoo. We actually like it better than the Phoenix zoo since it's smaller and easier to get around and the animals are a little closer so you can see them better, which is great for little kids. They also have an aquarium with penguins. Here are the pictures from that trip.

In the visitor's center/gift shop they have this neat display of baby crocodiles. You crawl through a little tunnel and can stand up in the middle.

These little ducks eat right out of your hand.

This is a jaguar who's cage extends over the walkway. He likes to lay right over you. Robert was even able to reach through the double layer of chain link fence and touch his paw a little. He jumped when Robert did that, but then laid back down.

Craig and I rode their log/water ride. He was really nervous, but really wanted to do it. We got wet, but it wasn't too chilly that day and Craig loved it! Poor Ethan...he really wanted to go, too, (he's the little dare devil in the family) but was too short.

The Current Family Favorite

We found our toes!

Here's my little growing baby, Mr. Grant. I can't believe he's going on four months already! (Please ignore the ghetto blinds in the background of the above picture...it's hard enough to get our landlord to replace the vital things that break--besides, the blinds were like that when we moved in.)

I started sleep training my little munchkin and it's been SOOOOO nice. After trying many different sleep training/scheduling methods when Craig was a baby and then again with Ethan, I decided to start Grant right off with the only method that has ever truly worked for us. That method is laying them down and letting them cry it out until they get used to the routine and go to sleep on their own. I know, it's controversial, but in my experience it's the fastest way to get them to go to sleep on their own and stay asleep and then consistently sleep through the night. The other methods just draw the process out too long and it's more painful and less consistent in the end.

Anywho, the first day or so is the hardest. You just HATE hearing your sweet little baby cry. I took Grant into the bedroom, swaddled him, sang to him, put him down, and walked out. I heard the beginnings of some whining, and then.....nothing. He was out. I thought for sure it was beginner's luck and cringed when the next nap time came around. But, he did the same thing. During the night he's slept like an angel, waking up only for his 3am (ish) feeding and occasionally at 11:30 because he's kicked his blanket off and needs me to re-swaddle him. He's usually up around 7:00, three naps a day, and that's that! I can't believe how lucky I am. Neither of the other two were nearly this easy to put to sleep. I attribute it to the fact that he's had to learn to sleep through all kinds of things (screaming, fighting, hitting, throwing, general chaos) so he's already learned that if he wants to sleep, he just needs to give in to it and drop off. If I can say I'm grateful for Craig's active personality and Ethan's screaming habit, this would would be the reason.

We love you Grant! You're the family favorite...for now. :)

My grandpa, Oscar Henry Olson

The main reason for our trip to California this year is my grandpa's 90th birthday party. He is truly an amazing person. He has outlived two wives (both of my biological grandmothers...try to figure that one out :)) and looks as if he were about 15-20 years younger than he is. He is one of the few Americans, born and raised in North America, who can say he is 100% anything--most of us are mutts of the Great American Melting Pot. But not him. He's 100% Swedish, through and through. This post is in tribute of him with pictures from his party and that weekend.
This is my mom giving a history of my grandpa and his life. Since he's such an interesting person with so many neat little facts, I think I'll brag about him a little. Hey, it's not everyday someone reaches 90 years of age!

*His parents, Olaf (or Pops) and Karin, immigrated from Sweden in 1912 with my great-grandfather's brother, Hans. They left Liverpool, England and headed for Canada. Do you know what ship left Liverpool in 1912 and was headed for Canada? Yep, the Titanic. In fact, they almost bought third-class tickets on it but decided to go the cheaper route and chose a smaller ship. Phew! That was a close one.
*My grandpa (Oscar Olson, by the way), was born in Carrot River, Saskatchewan Canada in 1921. At the time, his dad and uncle were working the mill, farming, and trapping. My grandpa was born in a small cabin with (of course) no electricity or plumbing. Pops and Hans were some of the first settlers of Carrot River and were the ones who chose the name for that township. It is still known by that name today.
*The family moved to Northern California when my grandpas was about 2, so that's where his personal memories really begin. His dad worked the lumber mill in Westwood, CA, and in later years they moved to the bay area.
*When WWII began, he went to sign up for the Army but they turned him away since he was a Swede born in Canada. Later, the draft started up and as soon as they needed every able-bodied young man, he was made a citizen and sent off to Germany. There, he survived several critical battles of the war and was a POW for a little over a month before the war ended and he was liberated.
*His parents wanted to be Americans so they never taught him Swedish. He taught himself, though. He is fluent and has used it on his many trips back to Sweden (one of which I went with him about 10 years ago).
*The family in Sweden still has the original family farm where the "old house" (built in the 1600s, I think) and still stands as a kind of museum. The "new house" (built in the late 1800s) is lived in by some of our family.
*My Grandma Ruby (my dad's mom) died young in 1975 and several years later, after my mom's parents divorced and my parents were already married, he and my mom's mom were married. It made family holidays really easy. Sadly, my second grandma passed away in 1999.
*My grandpa still lives in the house they bought when my dad was only a few years old. The mortgage has been paid off since the 70s.
*He still drives and remains active. He inherited my grandma's cats and has loved taking care of them. He's even taken in some more as others have passed on.

These are pictures of my grandma Ruby and my grandpa. He always loved photography and had his own dark room in his house. He took these pictures.

The four people standing are the family members from Sweden who came out for the party. They love to travel and were wanting an opportunity to visit. They presented my grandpa with a traditional Swedish birthday gift, flowers (since they have such a short growing season they really value flowers over there). They also sang him their Swedish birthday song. It was a really nice touch.

My brother and sisters and I haven't all been together for this much time since Mother's Day 2007. All the cousins (our kids) have NEVER all been together at once. We'll hopefully have a reunion next year and all 14 kids will be together. Fun? I mean...fun! :) My brother came out for a family event last year in November but it was such a quick trip we didn't get to spend much time together like we did this time. Aren't my sisters both lovely? And my brother, the strapping Air Force Intelligence officer. I could do a tribute post for each of them. :)

The party turned out to be a great event. There were old friends he didn't expect to see and he was most surprised when some old buddies from the Oakland airport showed up that he worked with for 30 years before he retired. It was a lot of fun and he was really, truly touched. I spent close to a year living with him after graduating from Ricks, not to mention that we toured Sweden together for a month, so I have to say how grateful I am for having him as my grandpa and for getting to know him better in my adult life. I hope he sticks around so we can throw him a 100 year party and my boys can get to know him better. We love you, Grandpa!